People Patterns uses Behavioural Economics as a new source of advantage for innovative businesses. Email me bri@peoplepatterns.com.au to unlock the secrets of consumer behaviour for your business or follow the latest on Twitter @peoplepatterns.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

My train station has introduced a Greeter - a person who stands on the platform and greets everyone as they board the train. This has a couple of obvious benefits for the commuters
1. gives us a readily available source of information about schedule changes and
2. assists people who are less familiar with the train travel process

So what's in it for the train company?
I dare say the validation of tickets will increase - Whilst the Greeter is not there to check every ticket, it is surely harder to avoid the validation process with a smiling Greeter standing in front of you. The power of shame!

But the beauty of this Greeter is how he is priming commuter behaviour. He is placing us in a positive frame of mind, forcing us to interact with him in a humanised way. I'll bet this will reduce the likelihood that we will become angry and resentful of the invariable delays and more forgiving of the train system. Well, a bit anyway!

And the lesson for marketers? Don't underestimate the human experience and how a business/Brand can prime the minds of customers for a better experience, particularly when times are tough.

In the post “Crazes happen because people herd”, I mentioned that fundamentally all crazes are alike in that they compel a group of people to behave a certain way for a certain period of time. Crazes have both a sense of momentum and of conclusion.Think about Yo-Yos as they completely take over every recess and lunch time in the school yard, before being quickly and unceremoniously replaced by the next big thing,Same with the Macarena – who can believe it swept the dance floors worldwide before disappearing to the shame file?

But there are also key differences between crazes.

In some crazes, there is a sense that it has come from nowhere and swept everyone along in its path.It feels like wherever you turn people are involved. Then, the craze recedes and is replaced by something else.This is the Yo-Yo type of craze that I refer to as a tsunami or “giant wave”. Giant wave crazes have a sense of singular direction (to the shore ie crashing onto the target market), power (you are decidedly either in or out of the craze) and impermanence (just like the tide, the craze will recede). I also lump longer term crazes (trends) like polished floorboards in this category. For a number of years now, those in the market to renovate a house/buy a house/sell a house would have seen how floorboards have had the edge over carpet. Ditto for stainless steel appliances over whitegoods.

In other crazes, there is a sense that the market itself has created the momentum with one group stimulating the craze across another. Instead of a singular direction, these crazes move laterally across a market, more like dominoes, until their momentum finally tapers to nothing.These crazes I refer to as “Mexican waves” because they are contagious and rely on group perpetuation. An example of this craze would be iPhones where influential early adopters generate the first wave of craze before other segments make the purchase.I would also classify Zumba the new fitness craze as a Mexican wave because it started in one gym and has gradually spread to your local fitness center.

Now importantly, whilst you are in the midst of a craze you are probably not aware of it being either a Mexican Wave or Giant Wave style craze because to you and your influential peers, it probably seems all consuming.When I was learning to Yo-Yo, it seemed my whole world (ie school population) was part of the contagious magic.

So the distinction between Tsunami and Mexican Wave crazes is probably not important for those involved, but I believe it can be important to marketers.Why? Because knowing how to stimulate a mass audience to meet your objectives is central to what we do.And that’s the subject of the third article in this series which focuses on the role of marketing in starting and riding crazes.

About Me

Hi! I'm Bri Williams and I run People Patterns, a consultancy specialising in buyer behaviour. I deliver benefits to you by tweaking the interactions you have with your buyers through the application of behavioural science. A marketer and consumer behaviouralist, I've worked across industries for over 15 years, am a specialist contributor to Smartcompany.com.au, facilitator, speaker and author. Contact me at bri@peoplepatterns.com.au to find out how to get your buyers to buy more.

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People Patterns is about businesses getting their buyers to buy more through the application of proven techniques from behavioural sciences such as behavioural economics. By knowing the patterns, you can take the guess work out. Thin of it like "Magician's Secrets finally revealed", but for buyer behaviour!

Contact me via bri@peoplepatterns.com.au or 0408 392 173 to find out about what a difference this new perspective can bring. An obligation free chat could be the best thing you do for your business this year!